Aahhh, with the pressure of yesterday behind me and a deliciously loud and frightening thunderstorm looming out my window, I woke this fine rainy day READY. Yes, ready. Just ready, I can't explain it further but I am sure most of you have felt the same thing. A determined sense of purpose. A shield and armor against the universe kinda feeling.
The storm woke me with a booming jolt and a blinding flash that rattled my teeth and mometarily confused me as to where I was. A second bowling ball thru plate glass boom & Edd was awake as well. We lay there wrapped in each others arms listening to the storm and relishing this stolen moment of intimacy. Edd even kicked his precious "Cosita" to the foot of the bed.Oh yeah, today was starting MUCH better then the last one. I even called the dentist and moved Owyn's appointment to tomorrow morning (it's a lost filling and she isn't suffering-k?) preferring to remain in Edd's arms engulfed in the rapture of the storm raging outside. As I have said before there is something hypnotic about rain on a metal roof, and lightening and thunder just amplify that effect on me. Edd knows this and uses it to his advantage, my boo aint stupid, LOL.
We lay this way til we drifted back to sleep,snoring and drooling on each other as only a truly married couple can. Perfect morning in my book. Owyn knocked a short while later and helped me make belgian waffles and bacon for everyone. I don't care for sweets much but there is just something irresitable about a thick, crispy waffle,kissed with real butter and drizzled lightly with maple syrup. OMG! toss on a couple berries and some whipped cream and I will crawl down a dark alley for you.Owyn ate breakfast in bed with her Papi, her favorite little treat. Edd and I left for Palata to pay rent on the property and I have to admit it felt GOOD. We paid it in full and a day early and it felt really good. I am sure all of you reading this can understand what I am talking about. It has happened to us all at some point in the last couple of years. With the current status of our Government (head up ass) it will happen to many more of us all too soon.I pray for everyone I know daily and give thanks so often my children have begun to think I speak directly to GOD now, since I don't bother to bow my head or mumble quietly -I simply dispense with the formalities and speak outloud each time I need to let him know I GOT IT,THANK YOU. I am a woman of intense faith and I believe that everyone in their own right is as well. I don't think we all need to believe the same-we just need to BELIEVE. In anything, something, nothing if it suits you-it's still a belief.
I enjoyed the day cooking and chasing the chickens and we all herded the duckies into the drainage ditch for an impromptu swim that tickled them to death! What fun it was watching the children watch the ducks,diving and sliding thru the water and quacking ,quacking, quacking! All the chickens and duckies are molting(losing baby fluff) and gtting their mature feathers. They are all so beautiful, we have begun to name them. The 2 golden buffs are "goldie & Beatrice", the dark redheads are "Sophia(loren) and Eva(menendez)" LOL.. the whites are "Sarah & Grace". They are the primary layers of this group of hatchlings and will continue to be hand fed and tamed daily. The Aracuanas have yet to be named we are still trying to figure out their personalities.I will post pics over the next couple of days.
The kids are watching tangled under an gi-normous tent I constructed in the living room out of sheets. Takes me back a bit, how bout you? popped some popcorn and smothered it in butter and ladled out a bowl of M& M's and sat down to blog and listen. They are discussing a crush someone has on Layla (Dawson's brother) what they wanna do for summer (fishing, a camping trip,coming here) and how much fun they have had this week. I spent $5 on skatepark fees and nothing else, and they (according to conversation I am eavesdropping on) have had a BLAST! That makes it all worthwhile. It melts away the the "yesterdays" from my memory and replaces them with something closer to reality.To the truth we are supposed to know about ourselves and our children. This week they all proved themselves to me in a way I had yet to see from them. They banded together, worked as a large functioning tribe,governing themselves and rationalizing. They workd together, and even though our house was FULL it was quiet. Layla said so herself this morning,"Mom-theres alot of kids in our house,but it's SO QUIET-I think you and Edd should have a baby ". WHOAAAA, that's a whole other blog sweetie.
WEEELLLLL,maybe....? EDD???
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
circle of life..
Today was not the day I had planned-not even close.
See, I planned to get up early and feed the animals and drive to town for more peeps & to drop boys at skatepark. I planned to return home, put lunch in the pressure cooker and relax with Edd doing some yard work til he had to go to work @ which time I would take Layla to her Dr.'s Appt. Pretty typical, nothing exciting-right? NOT how the day went.
I lost another peep, one of the Bantam Cocchin's. A freakish thunderstorm blew thru totally unannounced(thank you Mr. Weather man) and ruined my gazebo.I was a complete A*! to Edd for no reason at all, owyn lost a filling,I missed Layla's follow up appoinment because they called my cell to change the time and as you know we get NO CELL SERVICE. The list just goes on & on & on... Who planned this day? I want THAT job. Ya know what I mean? No , actually I don't. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the pain and aggravation and suffering of EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE. So, we rolled with it.I turned the missed appt. into a grocery trip so the gas wasn't a total loss, I will saw off the legs of the gazebowith the sawsall and make it a shorter gazebo, I have already -hours ago-apologized to Edd and the peep? Well, he became a lesson in the cycle of life and bullying. You see he was killed by his peers. He was knocked down and stepped on and when they noticed he was down they just kept kicking/pecking him. h was too weak to survive.
We were trying to make banana pudding and discuss,"why it is important not to date too young", when Dawson noticed the peep. It was very traumatic, and both boys looked ready to cry. They kept their stoic lil faces on for my sake, I could tell, and that made it even more difficult for me not too. He died and I comforted the kids ,sayin "he wasn't alone and he was warm and loved,thats all we can ask for in our last moments". Isn't it the truth though? in the end, you know you're gonna go, wouldn't it be much nicer to have someone stroking your hair and saying something soothing ? I think so. So this is the comfort I bestowed to the children in their fragile moment of mortality. It seemed to work. They all agreed and off we went to bury him beneath the blackberry bushes,where we are certain any chicken would be happy.
So lesson learned today?
S L O W D O W N
The faster I tried to move, the more I tried to accomplish the further behind I got and the more maddening the day became. It took that poor lil chicks death to slow me down, make me think and rationalize and focus. Sad but neccessary.Had I stopped, accepted my fate for the day and plodded on thru at a greatly reduced intensity would the chicks life been spared? NO. Most certainly not. I would just have been so over it that I would have missed the opportunity to explain something very ,very important to the kids. Life isn't fair.It can be CRUEL, everything dies, and somehow not being alone at that most perfectly solemn moment makes it less cold,less frightening. For everyone involved.
I did see the most stunning sunset this evening just after the rain when the earth is that surreal green thats too bright and deep at the same time to be real. It started slowly, rising up to the tree tops in a lavender mist spreading out and deepening to a color resembling the center of a blood orange and fading into the surrounding woods in oily streaks. Marvelous. That is why we are here. Thats what it said to me. stop, look, listen & learn. So I did. Gonna try again tmorrow morning, each day is new and full of potential, but 6 AM comes very early.
C A R P E D I E M
See, I planned to get up early and feed the animals and drive to town for more peeps & to drop boys at skatepark. I planned to return home, put lunch in the pressure cooker and relax with Edd doing some yard work til he had to go to work @ which time I would take Layla to her Dr.'s Appt. Pretty typical, nothing exciting-right? NOT how the day went.
I lost another peep, one of the Bantam Cocchin's. A freakish thunderstorm blew thru totally unannounced(thank you Mr. Weather man) and ruined my gazebo.I was a complete A*! to Edd for no reason at all, owyn lost a filling,I missed Layla's follow up appoinment because they called my cell to change the time and as you know we get NO CELL SERVICE. The list just goes on & on & on... Who planned this day? I want THAT job. Ya know what I mean? No , actually I don't. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the pain and aggravation and suffering of EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE. So, we rolled with it.I turned the missed appt. into a grocery trip so the gas wasn't a total loss, I will saw off the legs of the gazebowith the sawsall and make it a shorter gazebo, I have already -hours ago-apologized to Edd and the peep? Well, he became a lesson in the cycle of life and bullying. You see he was killed by his peers. He was knocked down and stepped on and when they noticed he was down they just kept kicking/pecking him. h was too weak to survive.
We were trying to make banana pudding and discuss,"why it is important not to date too young", when Dawson noticed the peep. It was very traumatic, and both boys looked ready to cry. They kept their stoic lil faces on for my sake, I could tell, and that made it even more difficult for me not too. He died and I comforted the kids ,sayin "he wasn't alone and he was warm and loved,thats all we can ask for in our last moments". Isn't it the truth though? in the end, you know you're gonna go, wouldn't it be much nicer to have someone stroking your hair and saying something soothing ? I think so. So this is the comfort I bestowed to the children in their fragile moment of mortality. It seemed to work. They all agreed and off we went to bury him beneath the blackberry bushes,where we are certain any chicken would be happy.
So lesson learned today?
S L O W D O W N
The faster I tried to move, the more I tried to accomplish the further behind I got and the more maddening the day became. It took that poor lil chicks death to slow me down, make me think and rationalize and focus. Sad but neccessary.Had I stopped, accepted my fate for the day and plodded on thru at a greatly reduced intensity would the chicks life been spared? NO. Most certainly not. I would just have been so over it that I would have missed the opportunity to explain something very ,very important to the kids. Life isn't fair.It can be CRUEL, everything dies, and somehow not being alone at that most perfectly solemn moment makes it less cold,less frightening. For everyone involved.
I did see the most stunning sunset this evening just after the rain when the earth is that surreal green thats too bright and deep at the same time to be real. It started slowly, rising up to the tree tops in a lavender mist spreading out and deepening to a color resembling the center of a blood orange and fading into the surrounding woods in oily streaks. Marvelous. That is why we are here. Thats what it said to me. stop, look, listen & learn. So I did. Gonna try again tmorrow morning, each day is new and full of potential, but 6 AM comes very early.
C A R P E D I E M
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tonite belongs to EDD...
Monday, March 28, 2011
Rain on Tin Roofs
I awoke this morning to the gentle, peresistant drumming of much needed rain on my metal roof. Normally this is a sound that sucks me backwards in time to my Grandmothers bedroom and the smell of lilac perfume and lazy Saturday mornings snuggled next to her. Not this morning. This morning that all too familiar sound was punctuated with my husbands startling ,"the chickens!". To wit I ran half-naked & asleep towards the front door-only to realize midway thru the living room 2 things-1: we have a house guest aged 10 who I am certain is not used to seeing 1/2 naked women dashing thru the house at breakneck speed @ 7 am, and 2:so what? the Henhouse has a roof? Soooo, I stumble back to bed and wedge myself between hubby & cosita and fall blissfully back to sleep with the lingering scent of lilacs filling my dreams.
Seems it only takes 20 slices of CiCi's pizza to get them to sleep in. Noted for later use-check! Last night was "D'LaVega family pizza eating contest night". Basically every Spring break we take the kids and a friend or 2 to CiCi's pizza here in St Augustine & we eat until we POP! It's quiet funny to watch and painful to participate in. The male bravado amongst the men is crazy, each boasting their digestive abilities ,then one by one falling by the wayside and turning the loveliest shade of green while unbuttoning their pants and looking very uncomfortable. Edd won this yr. He polished off an impressive 21 slices of pizza. Kieren was in a close 2nd with 20 and Kierens's friend Dawson(who is very slender BTW) managed 19 before his dsitended abdomen could take no more and he threw in his napkin. All in all it was a good competition and watching the guys bond thru gastric distress was heartwarming.
I am exhausted but the smell of rain is in the air still and my hubby just made the bed and fluffed my pillows for me( a little treat he does EVERY night because I mentioned once how happy it made me). Aaaahh, life is good. It really is. I don't have alot of money. Hell I am just as broke as everyone of you reading this, but, my composter is full of rich, black soil I MADE for FREE, my chickens are growing and healthy and for the most part my family is healthy and on solid ground. We stumble, we fall- we are not perfect. Far from it, but we are there for each other. I know when I smack my thumb with a hammer Edd will be there to laught at me til he pees himself and vice -versa. I know that even if my teenager thinks she hates me, she doesn't and will be the first to tell you why she loves me(then deny it when I ask her to repeat it) but she's the 1st to hug me goodnight and ask to be tucked in.These things are my constant, what I rely on to keep myself balanced in an off kilter world.. I don't wanna die a wealthy woman, with no debt and luxuries in abundance. I wanna live a rich life, full of memories and experiences and emotions.I wanna leave behind something tangible for my children that goes beyond fianancial substance. I want to leave them a blue print for happiness. For inner peace. I wanna leave them memories of a childhood they will long to repeat. My shoulders ache and my eyelids are heavy and as I type these final words I can almost smell lilacs on the heavy,damp breeze blowing in from the dining room window. Many long years I have yearned for this sense of calm, this sense of home. To feel my Grandmothers quilt wrapped around my shoulders as I listen to rain of the tin roof of her lil farmhouse in the Ozarks......I may be a poor woman ,this is true, but today I see my riches stretch far beyond the horizon and my heart is indeed glad. I know one day my children will be teaching their children how to hand crank ice cream and they"ll be able to say,"just the way my mom did it". That is PRICELESS.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
I'm just too tired TO F*!K you, I'm not tired OF F*!%KING you....
So those were the words I drifted off to sleep to last night.. sweet huh? Thats my Boo.
This is what happens when LIFE happens. Funny how comforting those words were. I knew exactly what he meant. We still have the passion, the heat, the desire-but the fire is burning way down low and neither of us has the energy to stoke it these days. Thats ok, There are things we value more than that and those things require very little energy and carry a helluva punch in a pinch. Like, the way my husband makes a point of never entering or leaving a room w/o touching me. NOT like that, just my shoulder, my waist, a kiss on the neck as I'm cooking. He says it's to remind he's still there. Nice huh? Like the way I watch him sleep when I wake-up before him and I am still so in love with that face that I know every curve of his full lips and the smell of his skin makes me swoon-still. I will take those things over sex anyday. Don't get me wrong the sex is-well, lets just say I am NOT disappointed. But, beyond that there is comfort, there is companionship and silent understanding & respect.
I warned my bestie when she got married that ,"there would be a severe decline in her ample sex life". I don't think she believed me.As I spoke with her the other day, she did not seem as overraught as she thought she would be over it. She seemed...Happily married-to her best friend. That is what we should strive for I think. I don't always say,"Thank you" when Edd does a chore for me. He doesn't always compliment my cooking. But we know, that it's understood. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else. Yes baby, I am too tired too-but not tired OF!! Those words are like I LOVE YOU to my ears.As long as there is interest, there is potential!!
Having said that I awoke this morning to a beautiful day. Slept in, snuggled and made oatmeal for everyone ,even chickens. The latter like theirs with bananas and honey, Edd & kids w/cinnamon & brown sugar. Busy day clearing land. Edd and his machete blazing a goat path thru thorn crusted vines and spider filled tangles of medusa like underbrush like an Aztec warrior claiming new lands.It was indeed a mess! Edd emerged 2 hrs later looking less than thrilled. I made navy beans in the pressure cooker (so tender and yummy) and hoe bread. Recipe for that will follow. It is an old fashioned corn cake named for the method used to cook it in the felds by farm hands. Farm hands would turn their hoes upside down over a fire and grill the cakes for their supper so they could keep working thru the evenings.
All of the chickens and duckies are doing well. New coop seems to be just right, although an expansion is right around the corner. Peeps will only be in the 100 gal. fishtank for another 2 wks, then they will integrate into the flock. I am debating taking a welding course this yr. I think it would be a very handy skill to have around here. We shall see how the summer fares before we make any firm decisions, but it is definately on my mind.
UPDATE: My sons BFF drama is solved albeit temporarily. I love the kid & he has a bad situation & he needs a safety net. I spoke with him very maturely and apparently MOM is aware she made a "bad choice" but doesn't know what to do.She is weak and needy and broke. I know this story all to well. Wrote one like it once or twice even. She was not offended that I felt unsafe having my son around her BF and her son comes here instead. Problem solved-temporarily. I do not believe for 1 second this is over for good. Hank is still living in the kennel, we have not been able to decide how to proceed with him. Were it not for my daughter,he would be gone already. But she has such a tender heart and loves the ugly lil putz so much... the debate rages on. Layla's stitches are healing nicely-I should be taking them out in 2 or 3 days.
roosters that live @ Buzzmart (metioned previously) 
"cracker swamp road" leads into my hood.
"Roja"
and "Negra" The "black girls"
the henhouse hubby & I made <3
Spring Break is upon us and still no rain. I fear we will have many new wildfires in the area. Unfortunately there is little parental supervision ,due to the economy and a failing government, no one can afford day care/camp/sitters. Even grandma has a job now. So the teenagers are loose upon the world, full of misinformed knowledge and hormones and MONSTER ENERGY DRINKS. God help us!There will be several new residents in the maternity ward come December this yr. and the juvenile court docket will certainly be full for April. Aaahhh tax dollars well spent. Posting pics of the coop and flock. Keep reading, keep clicking and flirt with your spouse, you never know where it will lead!
HOE CAKES: 4 cups yellow corn meal
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup green onions diced
cayenne/salt/pepper to taste
1/2 lb bacon/grease(crumble bacon) reserve grease for frying cakes.
cook bacon and reserve grease for later. mix all ingredints in bowl ,add dash of cayenne(start slow usually1/4 teaspoon) . chopp bacon and add to mix. spoon into frying pan with hot bacon grease. cook approx 2-3 min ea. side til crisp drain on paper towels & enjoy!
This is what happens when LIFE happens. Funny how comforting those words were. I knew exactly what he meant. We still have the passion, the heat, the desire-but the fire is burning way down low and neither of us has the energy to stoke it these days. Thats ok, There are things we value more than that and those things require very little energy and carry a helluva punch in a pinch. Like, the way my husband makes a point of never entering or leaving a room w/o touching me. NOT like that, just my shoulder, my waist, a kiss on the neck as I'm cooking. He says it's to remind he's still there. Nice huh? Like the way I watch him sleep when I wake-up before him and I am still so in love with that face that I know every curve of his full lips and the smell of his skin makes me swoon-still. I will take those things over sex anyday. Don't get me wrong the sex is-well, lets just say I am NOT disappointed. But, beyond that there is comfort, there is companionship and silent understanding & respect.
I warned my bestie when she got married that ,"there would be a severe decline in her ample sex life". I don't think she believed me.As I spoke with her the other day, she did not seem as overraught as she thought she would be over it. She seemed...Happily married-to her best friend. That is what we should strive for I think. I don't always say,"Thank you" when Edd does a chore for me. He doesn't always compliment my cooking. But we know, that it's understood. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else. Yes baby, I am too tired too-but not tired OF!! Those words are like I LOVE YOU to my ears.As long as there is interest, there is potential!!
Having said that I awoke this morning to a beautiful day. Slept in, snuggled and made oatmeal for everyone ,even chickens. The latter like theirs with bananas and honey, Edd & kids w/cinnamon & brown sugar. Busy day clearing land. Edd and his machete blazing a goat path thru thorn crusted vines and spider filled tangles of medusa like underbrush like an Aztec warrior claiming new lands.It was indeed a mess! Edd emerged 2 hrs later looking less than thrilled. I made navy beans in the pressure cooker (so tender and yummy) and hoe bread. Recipe for that will follow. It is an old fashioned corn cake named for the method used to cook it in the felds by farm hands. Farm hands would turn their hoes upside down over a fire and grill the cakes for their supper so they could keep working thru the evenings.
All of the chickens and duckies are doing well. New coop seems to be just right, although an expansion is right around the corner. Peeps will only be in the 100 gal. fishtank for another 2 wks, then they will integrate into the flock. I am debating taking a welding course this yr. I think it would be a very handy skill to have around here. We shall see how the summer fares before we make any firm decisions, but it is definately on my mind.
UPDATE: My sons BFF drama is solved albeit temporarily. I love the kid & he has a bad situation & he needs a safety net. I spoke with him very maturely and apparently MOM is aware she made a "bad choice" but doesn't know what to do.She is weak and needy and broke. I know this story all to well. Wrote one like it once or twice even. She was not offended that I felt unsafe having my son around her BF and her son comes here instead. Problem solved-temporarily. I do not believe for 1 second this is over for good. Hank is still living in the kennel, we have not been able to decide how to proceed with him. Were it not for my daughter,he would be gone already. But she has such a tender heart and loves the ugly lil putz so much... the debate rages on. Layla's stitches are healing nicely-I should be taking them out in 2 or 3 days.
roosters that live @ Buzzmart (metioned previously) "cracker swamp road" leads into my hood.
"Roja"
and "Negra" The "black girls"
the henhouse hubby & I made <3
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup green onions diced
cayenne/salt/pepper to taste
1/2 lb bacon/grease(crumble bacon) reserve grease for frying cakes.
cook bacon and reserve grease for later. mix all ingredints in bowl ,add dash of cayenne(start slow usually1/4 teaspoon) . chopp bacon and add to mix. spoon into frying pan with hot bacon grease. cook approx 2-3 min ea. side til crisp drain on paper towels & enjoy!
Friday, March 25, 2011
you can tell by his name, he's from around here....
Howdy ya'll! lemme just say, you know you live in the country when the corner station (here it's Buzzmart- "hardware & feed") which by the way sells no hardware, has roosters ROOSTING on the trash cans. I LOVE IT! posting pics tonite of aforementioned roosters. So about the title of tonites blog..
If you have been following you are aware that I have been on a small mission to acquire some guinneas. They are like the mutant babies of chickens and turkeys and are louder than triplets breastfed by a crackhead.They are excellent pest control (preferring deer ticks as a delicacy) and mosquitos to hen food. They will alert you to arriving guests 10 minutes before they get in the driveway with an alarming KAAK_KAAK_KAAK_KAAAK!! sound and chase snakes for fun.As you can see I simply MUST get a few. The local tractor store and several online stores sell them, but in groups of 25( even I now that is 20 too many). Thus the problematic "brick wall" I hit in my search. Since Guinneas have infertility problems and must be inseminated to hatch eggs(eeewww!) finding keets(baby guinnea) is an adventure.
Enter DELMAR (pronounced D e l-m a h h r-soft aaahh sound)
there is a weathered and somewhat frightening looking fellow who lives in my neck -o-the-woods.He is 5'6( if he could straighten his spine maybe 5'8),skin like baked potatoes forgotten in the oven and eyes like 2 watery slits in his wrinkled face. he has 4 teeth, all in the front and his slurr makes it almost impossible to understand him. For respect purposes I shall call him Jerry(not his name) He has a fantastic flock of guinneas. Two days ago I mustered up the courage to stop and ask him if would sell me a few. This is how it went:
Me: (stopping truck and rolling down windows) ,"good afternoon-are those your guinneas?"
Jerry: (slowly rising from a crouched position at edge of ditch-wher ehe was feeding a feral cat) "Yup."
Me: "you got any keets"
Jerry:"huh?,Nah,Nah, no babies." (pronounced: naah, naah nu baybeez)
Me: "know where I can buy some?"
Jerry:"yup" stares blankly for 3 beats-long enuff for me to wonder if he had forgotten the question.
Jerry:" gotts muh friend DELMAAHR, you can tell from his name-he's from around here,(starts a laugh deep in his chest that rumbles into a coughing spell and sputum) he sells 'em".
Me: "if I give you my number could he call me?" ( feeling a little less than confident about this now..)
Jerry: (staring off into a less than lucid moment)
Me: "does he have a phone?"
Jerry: (snaps back slowly to present day convo)"no, no, guess he don't got no phone, you live 'round here?"
Me: "no sir I dont, thanks anyway" (pull away while he's muttering-hoping to kick up enough dust to obscure my tag..LOL)
so the search goes .....
Got the chicken coop built, only to find several security issues I couldn't live with. So 2 days later I tore it apart, 1 board at a time and began again. A little less hastily, and with my partner in crime Edd at my side,reminding me the entire time that,"I took 12 yrs of shop ya know" and making me laugh til I peed my pants. The coop is now done. It is beautiful and secure and muti functional too.pictures will be posted here tonite. We have had 1 mojor casualty thus far, Layla our eldest split her heel and nearly severed it on Sunday eve while running the phone out to me at the construction site. She is fine, got 4 stitches and crutches but she will live. Edd, Kieren ,Owyn & myself are covered in tiny scratches from th ewire and nicks from the woods but we too shall live and are a site more relaxed knowing the flock is safe.
We are up to 7 ducks and 35 chickens/peeps and will add more next wk.With all these eggs we cook alot. Below is a recipe for my asparagus quiche,enjoy!use left over veggies as a substitute for the apsaragus and save some $$.
6eggs
1cup asparagus tips (sauteed in butter til tender)
2cups cheddar cheese or cheddar jack(shredded
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper/onion/mushrooms/garlic.(usually 2small chunks garlic will do-sauteed all)
1 frozen deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
salt/pepper to taste.
holladais sauce to drizzle
preheat oven to 350
sauteed all veggies and set aside.
whisk eggs and cream/milk til well blended.
mix veggies with egg and pour into pie shell. cover with cheese and bake 28-30 minutes-til knife inserted in center is clean.
slice and serve with a big dollop of holladaise over the top and crusty french bread.
Bon A Petit!
If you have been following you are aware that I have been on a small mission to acquire some guinneas. They are like the mutant babies of chickens and turkeys and are louder than triplets breastfed by a crackhead.They are excellent pest control (preferring deer ticks as a delicacy) and mosquitos to hen food. They will alert you to arriving guests 10 minutes before they get in the driveway with an alarming KAAK_KAAK_KAAK_KAAAK!! sound and chase snakes for fun.As you can see I simply MUST get a few. The local tractor store and several online stores sell them, but in groups of 25( even I now that is 20 too many). Thus the problematic "brick wall" I hit in my search. Since Guinneas have infertility problems and must be inseminated to hatch eggs(eeewww!) finding keets(baby guinnea) is an adventure.
Enter DELMAR (pronounced D e l-m a h h r-soft aaahh sound)
there is a weathered and somewhat frightening looking fellow who lives in my neck -o-the-woods.He is 5'6( if he could straighten his spine maybe 5'8),skin like baked potatoes forgotten in the oven and eyes like 2 watery slits in his wrinkled face. he has 4 teeth, all in the front and his slurr makes it almost impossible to understand him. For respect purposes I shall call him Jerry(not his name) He has a fantastic flock of guinneas. Two days ago I mustered up the courage to stop and ask him if would sell me a few. This is how it went:
Me: (stopping truck and rolling down windows) ,"good afternoon-are those your guinneas?"
Jerry: (slowly rising from a crouched position at edge of ditch-wher ehe was feeding a feral cat) "Yup."
Me: "you got any keets"
Jerry:"huh?,Nah,Nah, no babies." (pronounced: naah, naah nu baybeez)
Me: "know where I can buy some?"
Jerry:"yup" stares blankly for 3 beats-long enuff for me to wonder if he had forgotten the question.
Jerry:" gotts muh friend DELMAAHR, you can tell from his name-he's from around here,(starts a laugh deep in his chest that rumbles into a coughing spell and sputum) he sells 'em".
Me: "if I give you my number could he call me?" ( feeling a little less than confident about this now..)
Jerry: (staring off into a less than lucid moment)
Me: "does he have a phone?"
Jerry: (snaps back slowly to present day convo)"no, no, guess he don't got no phone, you live 'round here?"
Me: "no sir I dont, thanks anyway" (pull away while he's muttering-hoping to kick up enough dust to obscure my tag..LOL)
so the search goes .....
Got the chicken coop built, only to find several security issues I couldn't live with. So 2 days later I tore it apart, 1 board at a time and began again. A little less hastily, and with my partner in crime Edd at my side,reminding me the entire time that,"I took 12 yrs of shop ya know" and making me laugh til I peed my pants. The coop is now done. It is beautiful and secure and muti functional too.pictures will be posted here tonite. We have had 1 mojor casualty thus far, Layla our eldest split her heel and nearly severed it on Sunday eve while running the phone out to me at the construction site. She is fine, got 4 stitches and crutches but she will live. Edd, Kieren ,Owyn & myself are covered in tiny scratches from th ewire and nicks from the woods but we too shall live and are a site more relaxed knowing the flock is safe.
We are up to 7 ducks and 35 chickens/peeps and will add more next wk.With all these eggs we cook alot. Below is a recipe for my asparagus quiche,enjoy!use left over veggies as a substitute for the apsaragus and save some $$.
6eggs
1cup asparagus tips (sauteed in butter til tender)
2cups cheddar cheese or cheddar jack(shredded
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper/onion/mushrooms/garlic.(usually 2small chunks garlic will do-sauteed all)
1 frozen deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
salt/pepper to taste.
holladais sauce to drizzle
preheat oven to 350
sauteed all veggies and set aside.
whisk eggs and cream/milk til well blended.
mix veggies with egg and pour into pie shell. cover with cheese and bake 28-30 minutes-til knife inserted in center is clean.
slice and serve with a big dollop of holladaise over the top and crusty french bread.
Bon A Petit!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Blood,Sweat & Black girls
"negra"
"roja"So begins todays blog. Three days ago the "black girls" came home to roost. The "black girls" are a pair of sister hens from a black sex links brood we purchased a yr ago. They have been staying with my Friend Kathryn(thx kathryn) until we had room for them again.. Sex links are produced when a Black Plymouth Rock rooster mates with usually Rhode Island Red . We have Negra ,my hubby's baby , who is all black with vivid red wattle and comb & Roja. Roja is brilliant firey orange on her head,neck & chest and jet black everywhere else.She belongs to my son & is quiete possibly the largest production hen I have ever seen. She weighs approximately 8.5-9 lbs and lays EXTRA LARGE eggs. Seriously they are the size of duck eggs. They enjoy roosting in the early evenings on the porch watching T.V thru the front window. Silly hens. We lost a brahma peeps last night to the dog. Hank attacked the brood at dusk,maiming 1 and scaring the hell out of another. We wrapped the scared chick in warm towels and fed it pedialyte until the shock had passed. it slept in a small box in bed with me last night. He has been dubbed "lucky" and given a pardon from the blade. He shalll live out his life as a pet/breeder/layer. Edd says I better not let it stay in the house ,"cuz if it poops on my big screen......." LOL
This morning I picked up 6 new peeps, just a few hours old. Two silkie bantams(mini chickens) and 3 cochin bantams, and a black astrolorp. Hank has been kenneled until we decide what to do with him.Hank has had a long history of aggression towards my on and honestly I am done with the nonsense. Kieren saw the whole attack and aftermath and though a neccessary lesson, a rough one too.
Saw 2 snakes ystdy,gonna be a dry summer so we will see many I fear. Roja chased it into the woods-I believe that chicken would eat ANYTHING!
I will post more later, I am still trying to get caught up and the kids have pediatric appt's today.
Remember: Never go to bed ANGRY.
I
Friday, March 18, 2011
Found: FERAL CHILD
I am still to this day taken by suprise at the level of oblivion of some parents. Case in point: Feral Child Encounter. This event topped off my already'series of unfortunate events" marathon of a day. As I am sitting at the park in our neighborhood(really nothing more than a field adjacent to a basketball court with what looks like home made hoops)awaiting the start of the free movie for the evening,still pondering the days crowbar-in-my-spokes moment and how to handle it my friend Gias daughter says,"their playing a really rough game". I turn just in time to see my son and hisBFF being taken out like chinese food, by some small feral looking creature,which then proceeds to start kicking them in the faces and trying to bite them.All that in the time it took me to BREATHE. Now I am already on my feet and making a bee line for this fierce lil tasmanina devil whose lightening quik reflexes remind me ever so briefly of JIM CARREY in the MASK. Half way across the field I hear a slurred and slow string of syllables trying to leapfrog themselves together to form words.I see Owyn go down and now it's game on. The gurgler behind me who sounds like an astronaut talking thru a fish tank filtration system says,"that boys playing too hard". No shit! Understatement of the millenia.I whistle for mine (my whistle stops traffic in adjacent neighborhoods) and my kids jump up,dust off and come running. I take them to our blanket and wrestle the scenario that started my graceful speed hobble across and uneven field to save them, out of them. They started a game of kickball with feral boys brother, feral boy declined when OFFERED to join-then bum rushed the group when they started playing. The entire time they are telling me this gurgler(AKA PAW PAW) geez!, is listening ,turns to feral boy says nothing just stares thru him and lights ANOTHER cigarette.! I explain loudly that my children are to beat him senseless if he comes near them, lock eyes with PAW PAW, and further explain that if theres blood drawn I'll draw it next. Movie was great, popcorn was hot and buttery-just the way I like it. the dilemma I was pondering at the time of the assault was this.
I just found out that my sons BFF's Moms live in boyfriend is someone I had to sue 8 yrs ago and has numerous drug charges and habits and has been in & outta rehab enough to give Lindsey Lohan a run for her money. This guy and his former wife were locked in a mortal combat situation with me on a wkly basis until 2 yrs later they were arrested and disappeared. He has not changed by what I can tell and was clearly hoping I didn't remember him.I do. So I do not want my son around him or at their house but he is super tight with this kid and I genuinely like him too. This friendship is one of THOSE friendships. Ya know the ones. The ones they NEED, the ones that bridge the gaps and keep the norm even when the norm aint norm any more. So what to do, what to do. I have til sunday afternoon. I'll keep ya posted.
keep following and I'm going to post some pics tonite.
I just found out that my sons BFF's Moms live in boyfriend is someone I had to sue 8 yrs ago and has numerous drug charges and habits and has been in & outta rehab enough to give Lindsey Lohan a run for her money. This guy and his former wife were locked in a mortal combat situation with me on a wkly basis until 2 yrs later they were arrested and disappeared. He has not changed by what I can tell and was clearly hoping I didn't remember him.I do. So I do not want my son around him or at their house but he is super tight with this kid and I genuinely like him too. This friendship is one of THOSE friendships. Ya know the ones. The ones they NEED, the ones that bridge the gaps and keep the norm even when the norm aint norm any more. So what to do, what to do. I have til sunday afternoon. I'll keep ya posted.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
ALL HAIL the KING!!!!!
THE HEN HOUSE!!!!
That's right, you heard me! Our first rooster, aptly named ELVIS by Edd, has come home to roost. He is a beautiful Barred Rock cockerel. Sweet and loving he has won over the ladies already. We also purchased 6 Buff Brahmas (their little tufted feet are so cute!) bringing our total to 26 chickens and 5 ducks. twenty four of which are on the endangered poultry list for heritage(heirloom) poultry. We have placed an order for another 25 chicks, which should be delivered next week. We have decided to concentrate on 10 specific breeds known for producing high quality,flavorful meat and large to extra large eggs in shades from cream to dark chocolate brown. For those of you who do not know it already, brown eggs are higher in nutritional value and contain less of the "bad" fats & cholesterol than white. All of our hens are free ranged in field and fed an organic mash along with yogurts and grains and vegetable treats. No antibiotics or steroids are ever used. This is important for me to point out as several people have inquired about purchasing eggs in the near future and I am afraid that the labels on your egg cartons you've been buying at the store have been more than a little misleading.
The poultry industry defines free-range/cage-free as,"having access to mobility,the ability to move about freely and flap their wings to stretch". The jury is still out on whether or not they need to ever go outdoors or feel grass beneath their feet. The Industry standard is to place free-range/cage-free chickens on concrete flooring inside of a massive warehouse.The act of debeaking(the removal of the top 1/4 of the beak to prevent pecking) however is not against policy, nor is starvation to induce early molting to stimulate egg production. HUMANE huh? Certified Humane labeling implies that the chickens are being cared for in the utmost of consideration ,right? However, though given perches, nest boxes, and dust bathing areas they are not required to be given access to the outdoors and a less severe form of debeaking is still performed. This is known as beak trimming .Certified Organic is another misleading term. Yes, the chickens are hormone and steroid free and they are fed the finest vegetarian mash,however this certification also supports the act of starvation to early molt and debeaking. This & much more can be learned in VOLUME 3: MOTHER EARTH NEWS;Guide to backyard Chickens. It makes you re-think the simplicity of that dozen eggs you grab with out thinking, every time you go shopping. How did that animal suffer so we could bake a cake or a quiche, or make eggnog? Buy Local, Buy from small independent breeders and guarantee that you are not promoting the cruel practices I have written about here that are the NORM not the exception.
Chickens are not the stupid, emotionless creatures often portrayed in cartoons. In contrast they are very family oriented and each has it's own unique personality. Roosters, given the horrible reputation of being bullies and roust-a-bouts in the barnyard are actually fiercely loyal polygamists to their "wives",usually giving them the largest ,fattest worms and seeking out the best nesting areas. Like a good husband they will scream a warning to their mates in the face of danger and stand tall and proud to fight and Die for their protection. You cannot watch a mother settle over her chicks without a smile pulling at the corners of your mouth at the first fuzzy head that pokes from beneath her "skirts".Yes, we will be eating many of the birds we are raising. That is their true purpose, to feed man. However the path from the shell to the plate doesn't have to be a cruel one. I prefer to think that not only will the chicken taste better, but I can eat it a little easier knowing that while it was a living, feeling creature I didn't ignore it's needs over my own. I love my chickens. In the coop, in the yard & on a plate, smothered in fresh rosemary from the garden and lemon wedges-That's why Edd calls me La Loca Gallina-The crazy hen. Keep following me for more news on the flock and updates on the Hen House Edd is designing and building for me. It's coming along so nicely, with downstairs quarters for the ducks and a brooding pen and nesting area all seperated! Pictures as soon as my computer stops hating me. Edd is loving his small engines course (who knew-certainly not me) and the children are flourishing. Not everyday is a walk in the park,but it's still a walk. Enjoy it, even when it rains.no, ESPECIALLY when it rains.
G'night ya'll.
<3
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Chicken parfaits,bullies& Guys with...wood?
Just gonna preface this post with this: the 14 yr. old has her period-read with caution.
Ok, just got screamed at for typing the word period so, her visit from "Auntie Flow" maybe? Nope. Now theres screaming. Uh-and a door slamming off in the distance too. My day is complete.
so here we go.....
Morning was good. I woke up first. Edd had a full day at school and then work ystdy & worked on the henhouse late sooo.. I decided to shut off the alarm and let him sleep awhile longer. I let the dogs out and grabbed a cup of coffee and went out to check the babies. Everyone was peeping and cooing, ready for breakfast. Now we keep feed available at all times to them but being organically fed and free range we like to supplement their diets with additional grains and fruits as a treat and to enhance the flavor of the eggs and meat produced. today it was blueberries and greek yogurt. Chickens LOVE yogurt. not many people know this but mine have always preferred greek brands like CHOBANI .I think it's the denser curd. The active yeasts are good for their digestion too. The entire yard was quiet except for their gentle sound. I stood there watching them and felt my Grandfathers hand upon my shoulder. I know he would be proud, this was his world. One that he shared with me as a child before Cancer stole him from me too young.He was full blood Cherokee Indian from Kentucky and the land was his first true love-my Grandmother his second. Rot Gut Whiskey his 3rd-thus, the cancer.I digress.
Moving along, I awoke hubby who showered, shaved, dressed, grabbed bowl of REESES PUFFS cereal (his fave), coffee and hit the road to work. So far so good. Right there-a big red warning flag-should have sprung up in front of me,"REMEMBER DUCKIE" it should have read. But alas it did not, so blindly I went about my day. Next stop was the ortho @ Flagler Hospital. This is where the day got peculier-er and peculier-er . ortho had no record of my appointment even though I had called to verify at 9am?? hmm? okay, can I reschedule they ask? Suuure,no inconvenience there. homeward I bound. Home calls:can we come into town later to chill with friends?Me:sure if chores are done Home:sure-deal is made I hang up marveling at how smoothly that went.RED FLAG #2.
Enter:
the aforemention 14 yr olds*hushed typing* period! for the next 4 hrs, I was:(in 1 breath)
theworstmothereveryourruiningmylifeiwishyouweredeadwhydoyouhatemenoonecareswhatiwantbitch.
yes she said bitch. Ballsy kid. those of you who know me, know what that means. She lives still. No really she does. But she has new perspective.Not because I beat her cross-eyed(billy I know you were thinking it) but we had a very long discussion.She's taking alot of heat from her "townie" friends who think us folks here in Flagler are "sister boning,hills have eyes freaks" and people who live in trailers are poor trash. Well , future blogs will cover how this gets handled. And it will be handled. Today was about reminding my daughter that we live here by CHOICE to provide her with the higher moral fiber and cleaner more organic life we have always strived towards. That I CHOSE this place above many others because of its POTENTIAL, that we recycle because it's the right thing to do-not just because we are thrifty,that we don't care about the opinions of small minded people because,because, oh yeah! cuz all her slutty lil friends parents smoke dope and cheat on each other and live false lives that seem all perfect and neat on the outside but get really really nasty on the inside andbesides sweetie their all gonna be pregnant by 10th grade and get fat and have cellulite and 3 chins and snot nosed kids just as ignorant as they are anyway, and those small minds are never gonna grow and we dont believe in wastefulness. thats it. EXACTLY what I told her. It's the truth.Her 14 yr old friends cut themselves and sleep around and have the worst self esteem. Not my kids. My kids come to me and talk about EVERYTHING.Theres no fear of judgement. They don't binge/purge, or cut,or self medicate. So ya know what? My way isthe right way. For us anyway, it's working.Everyone who knows my kids can say it's working. Tmrw they could become ax-wielding serial killers, but today they are well adjusted. Til I whack another duckie anyways,geez!
Sooooo...balance in Universe restored,super hero cape ironed and safely repacked in my mock CHANNEL wallet(I said mock) we pick up hubby. Who agrees a lil trash pickin is in order for some coop rebuilds we have planned. As we cruise the south of St Augustine like dingos lookin for babies, we spot a rather well built man in his late 40's sporting some tight lil running shorts and a tank tp carrying a rather tasty morsel of a book shelf to the curb. I slow and drift lazily to stop a few feet away and ask ,"HEY! you got WOOD"? now mind u , my windows are tinted, family is hidden and his entire family including mother in law is in the yard. He stops, Incredulous look on is reddining face and says,"umm do I have.. WOOD"? I point to his bookshelf - at groin level-and say," yes-can I have it"? he stumbles, stammers gets it and says o,"oh yeah, yeah sure take it." drops it and runs back to garage. Now I didn't get it! so Edd walks over to get bookshelf and say ,"damn baby-you just asked that man if he had wood!" STILL didn't get it-sometimes I am so literal, that I am S.L.O.W ok? so my 10 yr old says,"ya know MOM, WOOD-geez"! I GOT IT! wow....my embarassment spread across my face faster than the shame of my first sexual encounter! Edd's laughing, kids ar ALL laughing,, guys family is staring at me like some kind of Drive By Homewrecker/molester. Wood secured we drive home. laughing still. Laughter is the best medicine. Layla will survive these yrs of angst and peer pressure&continue to make me proud.not by what she does, but by what she doesn't do. She's on solid ground. I'll catch her when she stumbles, help her stand straighter and find her footing. Oh, and bury the bodies. but, thats another blog altogether....
Ok, just got screamed at for typing the word period so, her visit from "Auntie Flow" maybe? Nope. Now theres screaming. Uh-and a door slamming off in the distance too. My day is complete.
so here we go.....
Morning was good. I woke up first. Edd had a full day at school and then work ystdy & worked on the henhouse late sooo.. I decided to shut off the alarm and let him sleep awhile longer. I let the dogs out and grabbed a cup of coffee and went out to check the babies. Everyone was peeping and cooing, ready for breakfast. Now we keep feed available at all times to them but being organically fed and free range we like to supplement their diets with additional grains and fruits as a treat and to enhance the flavor of the eggs and meat produced. today it was blueberries and greek yogurt. Chickens LOVE yogurt. not many people know this but mine have always preferred greek brands like CHOBANI .I think it's the denser curd. The active yeasts are good for their digestion too. The entire yard was quiet except for their gentle sound. I stood there watching them and felt my Grandfathers hand upon my shoulder. I know he would be proud, this was his world. One that he shared with me as a child before Cancer stole him from me too young.He was full blood Cherokee Indian from Kentucky and the land was his first true love-my Grandmother his second. Rot Gut Whiskey his 3rd-thus, the cancer.I digress.
Moving along, I awoke hubby who showered, shaved, dressed, grabbed bowl of REESES PUFFS cereal (his fave), coffee and hit the road to work. So far so good. Right there-a big red warning flag-should have sprung up in front of me,"REMEMBER DUCKIE" it should have read. But alas it did not, so blindly I went about my day. Next stop was the ortho @ Flagler Hospital. This is where the day got peculier-er and peculier-er . ortho had no record of my appointment even though I had called to verify at 9am?? hmm? okay, can I reschedule they ask? Suuure,no inconvenience there. homeward I bound. Home calls:can we come into town later to chill with friends?Me:sure if chores are done Home:sure-deal is made I hang up marveling at how smoothly that went.RED FLAG #2.
Enter:
the aforemention 14 yr olds*hushed typing* period! for the next 4 hrs, I was:(in 1 breath)
theworstmothereveryourruiningmylifeiwishyouweredeadwhydoyouhatemenoonecareswhatiwantbitch.
yes she said bitch. Ballsy kid. those of you who know me, know what that means. She lives still. No really she does. But she has new perspective.Not because I beat her cross-eyed(billy I know you were thinking it) but we had a very long discussion.She's taking alot of heat from her "townie" friends who think us folks here in Flagler are "sister boning,hills have eyes freaks" and people who live in trailers are poor trash. Well , future blogs will cover how this gets handled. And it will be handled. Today was about reminding my daughter that we live here by CHOICE to provide her with the higher moral fiber and cleaner more organic life we have always strived towards. That I CHOSE this place above many others because of its POTENTIAL, that we recycle because it's the right thing to do-not just because we are thrifty,that we don't care about the opinions of small minded people because,because, oh yeah! cuz all her slutty lil friends parents smoke dope and cheat on each other and live false lives that seem all perfect and neat on the outside but get really really nasty on the inside andbesides sweetie their all gonna be pregnant by 10th grade and get fat and have cellulite and 3 chins and snot nosed kids just as ignorant as they are anyway, and those small minds are never gonna grow and we dont believe in wastefulness. thats it. EXACTLY what I told her. It's the truth.Her 14 yr old friends cut themselves and sleep around and have the worst self esteem. Not my kids. My kids come to me and talk about EVERYTHING.Theres no fear of judgement. They don't binge/purge, or cut,or self medicate. So ya know what? My way isthe right way. For us anyway, it's working.Everyone who knows my kids can say it's working. Tmrw they could become ax-wielding serial killers, but today they are well adjusted. Til I whack another duckie anyways,geez!
Sooooo...balance in Universe restored,super hero cape ironed and safely repacked in my mock CHANNEL wallet(I said mock) we pick up hubby. Who agrees a lil trash pickin is in order for some coop rebuilds we have planned. As we cruise the south of St Augustine like dingos lookin for babies, we spot a rather well built man in his late 40's sporting some tight lil running shorts and a tank tp carrying a rather tasty morsel of a book shelf to the curb. I slow and drift lazily to stop a few feet away and ask ,"HEY! you got WOOD"? now mind u , my windows are tinted, family is hidden and his entire family including mother in law is in the yard. He stops, Incredulous look on is reddining face and says,"umm do I have.. WOOD"? I point to his bookshelf - at groin level-and say," yes-can I have it"? he stumbles, stammers gets it and says o,"oh yeah, yeah sure take it." drops it and runs back to garage. Now I didn't get it! so Edd walks over to get bookshelf and say ,"damn baby-you just asked that man if he had wood!" STILL didn't get it-sometimes I am so literal, that I am S.L.O.W ok? so my 10 yr old says,"ya know MOM, WOOD-geez"! I GOT IT! wow....my embarassment spread across my face faster than the shame of my first sexual encounter! Edd's laughing, kids ar ALL laughing,, guys family is staring at me like some kind of Drive By Homewrecker/molester. Wood secured we drive home. laughing still. Laughter is the best medicine. Layla will survive these yrs of angst and peer pressure&continue to make me proud.not by what she does, but by what she doesn't do. She's on solid ground. I'll catch her when she stumbles, help her stand straighter and find her footing. Oh, and bury the bodies. but, thats another blog altogether....
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bunkbeds for chickens....
Feeling much better today-almost good as new.Okay good as a new 40 yr old with an extra 60 lbs and bad knees can feel, but better than Saturday sooo ,good as newer used! Made the chicks and duckies oatmeal and bananas w/honey for breakfast even felt inspired to do my eyebrows,that is another blog all on it's own.Didn't mind the time change at all, I really enjoyed the lengthened evenings and the chance for us to luxureate in the twilight hours. Edd's 1st day of Automotive was a blast, he really loved it (total turn on for me-love me a grease monkey!)and obviously inspired him to bigger and better in other areas too. DIRTY MINDS! I meant the chicken house!! LOL.. Spent the day playing phone tag with DCF phone nazis trying to establish Medicaid for the kids. Literally over 1 hour & 45 minutes on hold, HOLD! Edd doesn't qualify for a quality insurance for the family at work, I can't afford COBRA for all of us and the EX ,well...if you have 1-you KNOW.So medicaid it is. Not my favorite. Certainly not the most convenient (sort of convenience store convenient) insurance of the healthcare world. It's there, but oh it's gonna cost you-1 way or another.I pay taxes, so before anyone jumps on their soap box-this is my blog. If you can afford insurance-AWESOME, for those of us who can't show a little compassion ok? I will do anything,yes anything,to make sure if 1 of my children are in pain or suffering that they are cared for.PERIOD. Managed to get Homeschooling done.Children have been so amazing about their chores and schoolwork since the move. It's eerie really. Gonna start "checking behind the rows" before bed soon.Lets see how many get that reference.So, got home an Edd ,now Daryll (thats another story) decides he want s to start on the hen house with the newly donated bunkbed carcass Kieren so generously coughed up.Basically you take the top part including the stairs/drawers compartment from the side and turn it upside down. Take apart all the shelving from drawers and remove drawers. With a lil shimmying and lil measuring, you wont even have to use more than a couple dozen nails/screws. I will post a pick of the work so far. Not only is it quality wood,it is somewhat pre-fabbed so it quik work too. It will have 6 nesting boxes for laying a front door for the roosting area (which will be like a giant birdcage) and a back door for gathering eggs easily from the nests.We are breaking down and recycling every part of the bunk bed. My son is having a wonderful time helping his Dad with the project and I honestly couldn't be prouder watching my hubby take the lead and teach my son how to be a man, a kind, strong, chicken loving man! We are exhausted, but full of energy. Edd keeps giving me these slow, lazy, loving looks and I just nod, cause I know what it's for. We are a team. A damned good team. We bring out the best in each other. Sometimes the worst too, but it's days like today when we've worked til 2 hrs past dark w/o dinner and we stink and we can't keep our eyes open that we love each other most.Right now we are at our sexiest.Wierd huh? Guess what? Tonite as the last of the sun was fading from the sky and we started turning on our lanterns to strike a few more blows towards our goal, my phlegmy throat gave way to a most impressive lugey. My hubby turned to me as I apologized for spitting and said,"baby, thats hot-no really it's kinda fu*!in hot".
Now THATS LOVE!
Now THATS LOVE!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Mom takes a sick day
I am much better today than ystdy, however, I still feel crappy. Edd has been taking excellent care of me on the night shift and Layla has been doing a great job on the day shift.Was able to drag my self in for a hot shower and that seems to have made a marked improvement. My friend Gia dropped off some anitbitotics this evening so I should be right as rain in no time. Peeps and duckies are doing well in their brooder. Seem to be secure enough and they are growing rapidly, Kieren has decided to donate the unused parts of his bunk bed to build a henhouse so I guess tmrw if I am feeling up to it, I will start that project.we have Homeschooling every morning from 10-2pm ,tmrw Edd starts college again so it will be an early start to our day for us.Some days homeschooling 1st,4th and 8th grade all together can be mind numbing-but for the most part we love the bond it has created for us with our children. We love that they get a more indepth education and are allowed to focus more on subjects that really interest them. I am lying here in bed, struggling to type this blog, and chico,cosita & hank are wrapped around my legs like anaconda. Kieren has come to lie with me and give me comfort. Edd & layla are setting off the fire alarm trying to cook dinner and Owyn is dancing around laughing hysterically at their efforts ! Aaahhh this is my life. I love it. We live paycheck to pay check, sometimes we hafta steal from peter to pay paul but, I wouldn't have it any other way. Because we do it together. All of it, bad & good we do it together. Constructive Chaos. Thats our motto.
remember rule #3 : double tap
remember rule #3 : double tap
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Am I PATIENT ZERO????
okay, that may be a little extreme, but from where I am sitting(lying) it feels pretty damned accurate. I awoke yesterday feeling the earliest of twinges towards illness. I bravely fought it off intil I succumbed to it's evil tentacles late in the afternoon. Thusly, I have not left my bed, save for trips to the bathroom since 3pm Friday. My daughters -Owyn & layla- have been dutifully caring for me. Even texting and typing (yes this blog too) because I feel like a giant swollen purple bruise-EVERYWHERE.Layla has been tending our peeps with on the hour patrols for predatory creatures(the peeps moved outside today). So far, so good. peeping and pecking and being very chicken/duck like. Dogs have stayed cuddled in the bed with me since I took up residence here. They are very loyal and sensitive lil beasties. Hank is a yorkie/pekignese mix,Chico is a chihuahua/jack russell mix and Cosita(or princess or Gordis-we all call her something different) is our youngest and she is a chihuahua/yorkie mix with a fat lil butt and super short legs. What she lacks in height she makes up for in attitude! Hubby has declared that TOMORROW I WILL FEEL BETTER*booming voice* I hope he is right otherwise I will inclined to believe the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE is upon us and I am in fact "patient zero". more tmrw until then,
be kind to each other, forgive the small things..or find a place deep enought to bury the bodies BEFOREHAND.. it's always the details that get ya. LOL
be kind to each other, forgive the small things..or find a place deep enought to bury the bodies BEFOREHAND.. it's always the details that get ya. LOL
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Murder,Mayhem and tub duckies
I MURDERED A DUCKIE!!!!!
okay, it was an accident, but when it happened those are the only words my mind was able to form.That is until they formed my husbands name into a piercing,gut wrenching wail I am sure woke the dead in their graves(no pun intended-sorry duckie). What had happened was....
Hubby & I were sleeping VERY soundly (having suffered from insomnia recently,our prime hours of rest are between 4 AM and 9 AM) when we abruptly awakened by the shrill cries of a dog-(presumably 1 of our own) being eaten, at least horribly mauled, by a bear?? We lept, no small feat considering I am in a huge leg brace from hip to ankle and hubbys NOT a morning person, and made for kids rooms. I ran to the back door, he ran to our eldest daughterLayla's room. He bursts in like the ATF on a raid in crack town, to find her and her dog resting peacefully. Suprised but peacefully. From the back door I hear the "all clear" and yet, the shrieking continues.. as we bolt for the front door tripping over the other 2 perfectly safe dogs, we realize the sound is coming from our room. before we can react we are comforted by owen Wilson telling MARLEY that thunderstorms wont hurt him. It is now 7 AM. Back to bed. Enter the 9AM alarm clock.
My youngest daughter Owyn (yes, I know it's a boys name-my grandads to be exact) crawls into bed, snuggles up close and asks for the entire menu from Denny's for breakfst. No, I am not kidding. For an average sized child with only 1 chin she can pack away the food. Constantly, but breakfast is HER MEAL. I beg for 10 more minutes, turn on her Fave mornng show and doze,briefly. 5 minutes later she MUST eat or she will D.I.E MOMMY. We make coffe and toast together and while I am cooking grits and fried potatoes she offers to wash the dishes.BY HAND, her preferred method. This delights me and I revel in how gloriously the children are doing in the new improved environment. That was my critical mistake. That moment right there, was the moment that sealed duckies fate. I was feeling too good, too proud,too content. Duckie HAD to die, to restore balance. after the older children and hubby wake and eat their breakfasts it's time to put the peeps and duckies in their new brooder for the day. I notice that it is a bit uneven where it sits and while my son Kieren gets their feed I begin to shimmy and wiggle the enormous "crate like" brooder about to level it. In my ernest attempt to make them safe I failed to check beneath the pen when I sat it down and unceremoniously crushed duckie. It was swift, he didnt suffer(much?..) but the second I saw his lifeless little body lying there, I just cant explain the empty feeling that swallowed me whole, nor the hot rush of self hatred that filled it almost immediately. I let loose a shrill EEDDDDDDDDD! followed by a string of obscenities. We buried duckie,broke the news to the kids-who in order from oldest to youngest-stared stunned,wept & called me a murderer and said he hated me, and crumpled up like used tissues into a puddle under her blanket weeping. I dropped Edd off at college, bought 3 new duckies,recieved my acquittal via telephone convo with 10 yr old who hated me(but doesn't anymore) and came home. Now, the duckies live in the guest bathroom. with the peeps. Yes, I have 5 ducks and 15 peeps living in my bathroom. But only at night-until the new hen house is built. I have 1 strike already, and I aint feeling lucky. Tmrw is Edd's birthday, he's 26-yep! I am a cougar Raaawr! good night, sleep well.
okay, it was an accident, but when it happened those are the only words my mind was able to form.That is until they formed my husbands name into a piercing,gut wrenching wail I am sure woke the dead in their graves(no pun intended-sorry duckie). What had happened was....
Hubby & I were sleeping VERY soundly (having suffered from insomnia recently,our prime hours of rest are between 4 AM and 9 AM) when we abruptly awakened by the shrill cries of a dog-(presumably 1 of our own) being eaten, at least horribly mauled, by a bear?? We lept, no small feat considering I am in a huge leg brace from hip to ankle and hubbys NOT a morning person, and made for kids rooms. I ran to the back door, he ran to our eldest daughterLayla's room. He bursts in like the ATF on a raid in crack town, to find her and her dog resting peacefully. Suprised but peacefully. From the back door I hear the "all clear" and yet, the shrieking continues.. as we bolt for the front door tripping over the other 2 perfectly safe dogs, we realize the sound is coming from our room. before we can react we are comforted by owen Wilson telling MARLEY that thunderstorms wont hurt him. It is now 7 AM. Back to bed. Enter the 9AM alarm clock.
My youngest daughter Owyn (yes, I know it's a boys name-my grandads to be exact) crawls into bed, snuggles up close and asks for the entire menu from Denny's for breakfst. No, I am not kidding. For an average sized child with only 1 chin she can pack away the food. Constantly, but breakfast is HER MEAL. I beg for 10 more minutes, turn on her Fave mornng show and doze,briefly. 5 minutes later she MUST eat or she will D.I.E MOMMY. We make coffe and toast together and while I am cooking grits and fried potatoes she offers to wash the dishes.BY HAND, her preferred method. This delights me and I revel in how gloriously the children are doing in the new improved environment. That was my critical mistake. That moment right there, was the moment that sealed duckies fate. I was feeling too good, too proud,too content. Duckie HAD to die, to restore balance. after the older children and hubby wake and eat their breakfasts it's time to put the peeps and duckies in their new brooder for the day. I notice that it is a bit uneven where it sits and while my son Kieren gets their feed I begin to shimmy and wiggle the enormous "crate like" brooder about to level it. In my ernest attempt to make them safe I failed to check beneath the pen when I sat it down and unceremoniously crushed duckie. It was swift, he didnt suffer(much?..) but the second I saw his lifeless little body lying there, I just cant explain the empty feeling that swallowed me whole, nor the hot rush of self hatred that filled it almost immediately. I let loose a shrill EEDDDDDDDDD! followed by a string of obscenities. We buried duckie,broke the news to the kids-who in order from oldest to youngest-stared stunned,wept & called me a murderer and said he hated me, and crumpled up like used tissues into a puddle under her blanket weeping. I dropped Edd off at college, bought 3 new duckies,recieved my acquittal via telephone convo with 10 yr old who hated me(but doesn't anymore) and came home. Now, the duckies live in the guest bathroom. with the peeps. Yes, I have 5 ducks and 15 peeps living in my bathroom. But only at night-until the new hen house is built. I have 1 strike already, and I aint feeling lucky. Tmrw is Edd's birthday, he's 26-yep! I am a cougar Raaawr! good night, sleep well.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
brooders,peeps & busted thumbs
Today was DAY #1.
I mean technically there have been several DAY #1's, but TODAY was THE DAY #1. Day 31 of starting our chicken farm, our country life, our back to basics-self reliant- preparing for the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE-DAY #1. Why today? What highlighted this particular day above the others? Well, today my husband Edd and I built our first "brooder pen"(small enclosure for baby chicks) & "run"(fenced in area they can walk around scratching in). Now we have had chickens in the past-8 illegally- (along with 2 gorgeous ducks) while living in a residential neighborhood. So we have built a coop before. That was pretty simple , 6 posts driven into the ground, fenced with chicken wire. A few milk crates scavenged from behind convenience stores for laying boxes and door salvaged from our own screen door frame and we were in business! This however was a little more of a challenge. See, we just moved to HASTINGS,FLORIDA. For those of you who do not know, it is GODS COUNTRY out here. Cell phones do not work, everyone has well water and the closest grocery store is over 38 minutes away down roads peppered with suicidal deer and opossum landmines.
That is unless you count the "BUZZMART",our corner hardware/convenience/gas/and feed store. Except, they don't have any hardware & the air/vacuum machine has been busted so long no ones sure it ever worked to begin with. It is still a 20 minute roundtrip for tampons. No sir, you don't just run out to the store for milk here. So building a brooder pen with an attached run that provided adequate protection from the local wildlife presented a challenge we erroneously thought we had the answer to. HAH! after 2 trips to the hardware store(Home Depot-also 38 min away) 4 hrs, a busted thumb, promises of physical retaliation for real(or imagined) transgressions, a thrown hammer, and a near nervous breakdown(my husbands) we have a brooder/run. Yes!, today we worked-we worked hard. We cried (hubby says it was dirt in his eyes) we laughed -ALOT, and we worked it out together. Because this was our goal, our dream for our family. To get back to how things should be. We homeschool all of our children ages 6 to 14. We have always grown a large portion of our vegetables and enough to share. This yr we plan to triple that. This yr we plan to farm rare, endangered chickens and do our part to sustain the dying breeds that founded the poultry industry while devouring as many delicious organic fresh eggs as we can. I will put those recipes on here along with a regular journal of our progress, our screw ups our hopes & dreams and failures too.This yr I hope to share the tips and secrets and remedies my great grandmother taught me & to learn a few more along the way as well.To enlighten some to the fact that the BARTER SYSTEM is alive and well & I use it everyday in place of cash.I make my own bread, I can my own veggies/fruits/jams & applesauce too! I hope this blog can be a road map for someone else. Someone who's looking to step back, slow down and really LIVE. We may be living pay check to paycheck but we have been happier and more relaxed in the 10 days we have been here than I have been in 6 months. We are rich in ways most people have forgotten about. Soon there will be goats and pigs and peacocks too, please keep reading and commenting and following our progress as our little farm grows and our flocks and family do too.
*rememeber: life is too short to live it for someone else...
I mean technically there have been several DAY #1's, but TODAY was THE DAY #1. Day 31 of starting our chicken farm, our country life, our back to basics-self reliant- preparing for the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE-DAY #1. Why today? What highlighted this particular day above the others? Well, today my husband Edd and I built our first "brooder pen"(small enclosure for baby chicks) & "run"(fenced in area they can walk around scratching in). Now we have had chickens in the past-8 illegally- (along with 2 gorgeous ducks) while living in a residential neighborhood. So we have built a coop before. That was pretty simple , 6 posts driven into the ground, fenced with chicken wire. A few milk crates scavenged from behind convenience stores for laying boxes and door salvaged from our own screen door frame and we were in business! This however was a little more of a challenge. See, we just moved to HASTINGS,FLORIDA. For those of you who do not know, it is GODS COUNTRY out here. Cell phones do not work, everyone has well water and the closest grocery store is over 38 minutes away down roads peppered with suicidal deer and opossum landmines.
*rememeber: life is too short to live it for someone else...
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